[NicoleC]

Actually, the day after I got my K3 I went out with it, and I was a park taking pictures. A nice Indian lady offered to take my picture. I wonder what my face looked like right then? I think I politely declined...

[ivanvernon]

This reminds me of a less-than-honest technique for building your camera collection. Bring an impressively large but actually worthless broken camera to a tourist trap. Pretend to take some photos. A couple on vacation will invariably ask you take their photo and hand you their camera. Drop your junk camera and run away with their camera

Well, you are going to wind up with lots of low-end Canon point and shoots!

---------- Post added 06-06-14 at 08:54 AM ----------

Happened to me one time, so I let the guy have at it. First, I showed him the viewfinder to look through and suggested how to frame the photo. Next I showed him the shutter button, and explained that you just have to push down on it. He gravely accepted these suggestions, and miracle of miracle came up with a very professional photo, actually better than most of mine! Embarassingly, I later found out that he was one of our most prominent local professional photographers.

[altopiet]

I hand them my cell phone, it would take too long to explain how a real camera works. And to be honest, they will get a better picture with the cell phone.

Amen

[rod_grant]

Last time I tried this, I carefully explained AF button and shutter button, but the camera is set on centre point focus and it is so instinctive for me that I omitted to explain "focus and recompose"(!).
The hill is nicely focused, my wife and me not so much!

[severalsnakes]

Well, you are going to wind up with lots of low-end Canon point and shoots!

---------- Post added 06-06-14 at 08:54 AM ----------

Happened to me one time, so I let the guy have at it. First, I showed him the viewfinder to look through and suggested how to frame the photo. Next I showed him the shutter button, and explained that you just have to push down on it. He gravely accepted these suggestions, and miracle of miracle came up with a very professional photo, actually better than most of mine! Embarassingly, I later found out that he was one of our most prominent local professional photographers.

This is a great story. :-)

My husband and I were on vacation in Colorado and we hiked up a popular trail to a picturesque lake surrounded by mountains. A husband and wife were taking turns taking pictures of the other one with the kid in front of the beautiful scenery. I got to be on the other side of the situation when I offered to take their monstrous Canon DSLR and take a picture of the three of them. I only had a small Fuji superzoom with me at the time. I saw fear flash across his face and he actually gave me a brief instruction on the shutter release button... It was pretty precious. The pictures turned out fine and I didn't drop the camera down the mountain.

I don't usually hand my K-30 over, either, but that's because all of my lenses are manual and most of them are fixed focal lengths. My sister-in-law did borrow it once and asked me how to zoom. I pointed at her feet.

I've started carrying the MX-1 for these sorts of occasions. Good excuse to have another camera. ;-)

[mee]

well if it is a fixed group shot you're taking.. just auto focus before handing the camera over and have the person stand around the same spot you focused.

As long as your aperture is small it shouldn't be too much of an issue. And, actually, could be the smarter way to go if you have to reset the camera to normal half shutter press autofocus.. as you won't get those photos of objects far in the background accidentally locked in focus. hehe

[noelpolar]

well if it is a fixed group shot you're taking.. just auto focus before handing the camera over and have the person stand around the same spot you focused.

As long as your aperture is small it shouldn't be too much of an issue. And, actually, could be the smarter way to go if you have to reset the camera to normal half shutter press autofocus.. as you won't get those photos of objects far in the background accidentally locked in focus. hehe

This is what I do......basically every person who I use I make into a one press wonder!

[tim60]

The stories are familiar. It is amazing how much the arms length photographing pose has become normal. Just why I bought a dslr - OVF enables much more stable holding. And most people cannot cope with the idea of needing to focus for themselves or a prime.

[jatrax]

Of course the reverse is also a problem. Someone handed me their point & shoot today and asked me to take a picture of them. I promptly smacked myself in the nose trying to use the OVF that it did not have. Took me longer than I like to admit to figure out how to take a picture with the darn thing.

[tim60]

Of course the reverse is also a problem. Someone handed me their point & shoot today and asked me to take a picture of them. I promptly smacked myself in the nose trying to use the OVF that it did not have. Took me longer than I like to admit to figure out how to take a picture with the darn thing.

Someone saw me in St Peter's Square with my camera and asked me to get a picture of them with their phone. What do you touch to make a picture happen?

[Giklab]

Someone saw me in St Peter's Square with my camera and asked me to get a picture of them with their phone. What do you touch to make a picture happen?

You have to touch them.

(On the screen, of course. )

[bdery]

a prime (they always try to zoom it!)

Yep. Always.

[aleonx3]

"Manual focus lens and catch-n-focus" combination comes in very handy when I hand my camera to someone who is less in tune with DSLR. First, I ask the person to look through the viewfinder to ensure that I am (or the group) is in the center. To ensure that the picture is in focus, I basically tell the person to press and hold the shutter release and slowly turn the focus ring (or zoom ring as most people know) until the shutter trips. I also ask the person to turn the focus ring the opposite direction very slowly until the shutter trips again for added insurance. It works out pretty good usually...